The invention relates generally to an apparatus for processing sheets of web material. More particularly the invention concerns an apparatus for processing sheets of web material, such as photographic film or paper, having an adjustable tray for receiving and storing paper having various paper size configurations.
Devices for storing and feeding sheets of paper are well known in the art. Such devices are commonly found in document processing equipment, such as copier machines, where sheets of paper are fed from a tray to an image development system where a pre-selected image is formed on the paper. Among several illustrative examples of this type of development are the ones disclosed in, for instance: U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,902, Dec. 22, 1992, titled xe2x80x9cPaper Storing Device With A Swingable Engaging Member And An Engaging/Detaching Mechanism,xe2x80x9d by Hashimoto, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,972, Nov. 25, 1975, titled xe2x80x9cSheet Stack Receptacle,xe2x80x9d by Miller; U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,570, Feb. 3, 1998, titled xe2x80x9cPaper supply Cassette And Paper Supply Device Having Paper Supply Cassette,xe2x80x9d by Ouchi; U.S. Pat. No. 3,753,560, Aug. 21, 1973, titled xe2x80x9cAuxiliary Sheet Feeder,xe2x80x9d by Kapral et al.; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,971,311, Nov. 20, 1990, titled xe2x80x9cFeeder For Sheet-Feed Printing Machine,xe2x80x9d by Tsukimoto. The developments in the patents contemplate sheets of paper being fed from the tray to a processing device, such as a copier machine. However, to the surprise of the inventors, there appears to be no references that teach or suggest an adjustable tray into which paper of various sizes is alignably fed and stacked. Such applications could include sheets of paper fed from paper processing equipment, such as a chopper or slitter. The processed paper would then be stacked in the tray having novel and unobvious adjustable features for receiving paper of different dimensions and moved further down stream in a stacked array for further processing, such as inspection and packaging.
An existing practice for processing sheets of paper after processing includes feeding the sheets (from an MSC chopper) into bins on an indexing conveyor. A shortcoming of this practice is that a full-time operator is required to remove each pack or stack of sheets as it was indexed to the last position. These packs are generally very cumbersome and can be as large as 35 mmxc3x9743 mm and could weigh 12 lbs. Moreover, the height of the index conveyor is awkwardly high (upwards of 42 inches) which causes ergonomic problems for the operator. The packs or stacks of paper had to then be accumulated on boards and then later transported to the next operation.
Therefore, a need persists in the art for an apparatus for processing sheets of paper that incorporates an adjustable tray for receiving and storing sheets of paper of various widths and lengths, and that enables quick adjustments to reduce sheet processing cycle time.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for processing sheets of paper having a tray that can receive and store sheets of paper having a predetermined width and length.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus in which the tray has a quick release and latch members for controlling width and length guide elements.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above. Briefly summarized, according to one aspect of the present invention, a sheet processing apparatus, comprises: a sheet feeding member; a sheet processing element arranged for receiving a sheet to be processed; an adjustable tray member for receiving and storing sheets processed, said adjustable tray member including: a platform for stacking sheets of paper; a first lateral edge guide arranged substantially normal to a second lateral edge guide each being supported on said platform; a sheet width aligning guide member and a cooperating sheet receiving guide member, said sheet width aligning guide member being arranged for adjustable movements along a first axis of said platform towards and away from said first lateral edge guide, and said cooperating sheet receiving guide member being arranged for adjustable movements along a second axis of said platform towards and away from said second lateral edge guide; and, means for removing said sheets from said adjustable tray for subsequent processing.
There are numerous advantageous effects of the present invention, including: the width of the product processed by the tray does not have to be equivalent to the length; the tray can accommodate various size configurations via use of a custom designed quick release/latch clip; the tray allows operator access for quick and easy removal of the product; and, the tray design allows sheets to be fed from a proprietary chopping machine into the trays in such a manner as to stack the sheets uniformly with the sheet edges aligned, leaving no loose or wedged sheets.